Common Law
by Persephone of Abydos
Summary: An unconventional explanation for why Inuyasha always throws a fit when Kouga comes near and Kagome sits him. [ONESHOT]


Title: Common Law  
Started and Finished: 28 January 2007

Disclaimer: I just play with them.

Summary: An unconventional explanation for why Inuyasha always throws a fit when Kouga comes near and Kagome sits him.

* * *

"I really don't see what your problem is. I only do it so that you won't kill him!" Kagome sighed, frustrated with her red-robed companion.

Inuyasha's scowl deepened, but he maintained his stoic silence even as his grip around Kagome's thighs tightened to keep her from falling off his back.

Kagome balled her right hand into a fist and beat against the hanyou's shoulder. Why wouldn't he respond to her? "Mou, Inuyasha!" she yelled, "It's _Kouga! _He's a friend! Why do you always have to beat him up whenever he comes around?"

Inuyasha snarled mid-leap, his head whipping around to better glare at Kagome. "Because he tries to steal you away, that's why! He only wants you for the fucking shards!"

"Baka! You want me for the shards too, or have you forgotten that?"

In the blink of an eye they were back on the forest floor, Kagome having seemingly teleported to a position in front of Inuyasha with her back scant centimeters from the bark of a tree. Inuyasha's snarl was more pronounced, and his ears were so flat with anger that they seemed to have entirely disappeared.

"You just don't get it, do you?" the boy asked heatedly, his teeth audibly grinding.

"Well, apparently I don't!" the girl screamed.

The barest hint of red began to tinge Inuyasha's eyes. Barely restraining his hands from making choking motions in the air, he growled out, "That wolfshit tries to take you away from me, and you constantly defend him!" He exploded, "How the hell can you justify that, Kagome?! You're my _wife, _you clueless bitch!"

Kagome gasped, blue eyes wide, her back making contact with the rough bark of the tree behind her. "Wh-what?"

Almost as if he hadn't heard her, Inuyasha continued his tirade, "You make food for me, and you serve it to me! You always accept _my _kills! You take care of my wounds even when I don't need it! We…we sleep in the same places! You touch me, you even let _me _touch _you! _You follow me; your _eyes _follow me! The one thing you never do is let me fend off Kouga, that mangy wolf who seeks to steal you from me—you're mine, Kagome. You're _my wife!!_"

Kagome just stared at him dumbly. "We're…married?" She gulped. She distinctly did not recall getting married.

Inuyasha groaned, nearly tearing out his hair. "You're always like this! What the hell do they teach you in that school of yours? Of course we're married, you little girl! We've been married for years!"

"But…there was no ceremony!" Kagome argued, gloating inwardly at her genius. "We never had a wedding, so we can't be married."

"Keh," the hanyou responded, folding his arms. "I ain't that rich. Weddings are for nobility."

Kagome blinked. For a moment there, he looked almost frightened. Must have been her imagination. Still confused, she continued, "But…if we were married, wouldn't we have…you know?" She looked away, blushing profusely.

While she couldn't see him do so, Inuyasha took the opportunity to smile at her fluster. "Little girl, there's a time and place for that," he responded, trying to sound acerbic but not really succeeding. Sighing, he gave up and went the more gentle route: "Do you really think now's a good time to get you pregnant? You'd be such an easy target if you were heavy with pup." Seeing her blush deepen and her body begin to shiver from embarrassment, he brought her into his arms. "Kagome," he tried to soothe her, eternally grateful that no one else was around to see this moment of affection, "Kagome, this isn't anything new. We've been married for years. Even Miroku, Sango, and Shippou know it."

Still shivering, Kagome burrowed into Inuyasha. "They all knew about this? Everyone but me?"

"Yeah, they knew about this. You didn't notice? Miroku never asked you his trademark question beyond the first time we met him. He doesn't even touch you anymore, because he knows I'd kill him for it." Inuyasha growled lightly at the thought of the monk putting his moves on her. He held Kagome tighter, and continued, "Shippou—he sleeps with you to guard your womb from me. He knows enough to know that now is not the time for pups." He nuzzled Kagome's hair, rubbing her back in an attempt to stop her shivering. "Sango, though—she's always assuming you're pregnant. Surely you've caught her looking at you while you girls go off and bathe. She's there to protect you just in case." He couldn't help but smirk, "I think she's always surprised that you're _not _pregnant."

The sound muffled by his haori, Kagome sniffled and spoke, "But why didn't I know about this? Shouldn't I have known about this?"

He couldn't help but growl at the situation. "I thought you _did, _you silly bitch. You started treating me like a husband before I started treating you as a wife. I thought…" and here Inuyasha stopped, unsure if he should continue. Or if he wanted to at all.

Kagome, her curiosity piqued, looked up at Inuyasha. "You thought what?"

He looked away, his hair hiding his eyes. "I thought you wanted be my wife." Not knowing what else to say, he clutched her even more tightly to himself. Desperate, he whisper-growled, "Don't let Kouga steal you from me."

From inside the red-fabricked embrace, Kagome smiled. "I promise, Inuyasha."

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Meta-ramblings: I would very much like opinions on this little experiment of mine! It's the first non-Hojo piece I've written in a while.


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